Heavy climbs and grueling elevation changes marked the eighth stage of the Tour de France as the race exits the flat portion and enters the Pyrenees. The change in terrain bothered many riders hoping to gain ground in the general classification, but Christopher Froome powered through to take Stage 8 and the yellow jersey in impressive fashion in 5:03:18.

Froome fought through the agony of the final climb, pulling away time and again as the finish in Ax 3 Domaines was closing in. He took the final 1,375-meter climb with pace and poise as a bevy of riders attempted to close the gap.

The Inner Ring documented the final paces of Froome’s climb:

ITV Cycling capped it off with a photo of Froome as he crossed the finish:

Colombian Nairo Quintana looked to have the stage in his grasp as he enjoyed a solo ride for much of the late going. Froome, however, chose the right time to make his move as Quintana faded in favor of the 28-year-old Team Sky rider.

Teammate Richie Porte followed Froome with a second-place finish in the stage, while Movistar representative Alejandro Valverde finished third. Bauke Mollema and Laurens Ten Dam rounded out the top five, as noted by the Inner Ring:

Despite his impressive stretch ahead of the peloton late in the stage, Quintana faded to finish 1:45 behind Froome, via ITV Cycling:

Froome’s final stretch in leading Team Sky to the finish was extraordinary given the importance of the eighth stage.

With the race taking a brutal turn at the Pyrenees, his sprint to the stage victory and yellow jersey has set the tone.

The British 28-year-old finished second in last year’s Tour de France, but given his impressive finish in Stage 8, the field will have a difficult time overtaking him for the yellow jersey this year.

With the flat stages of the race in the rearview and more grueling ascents ahead, Froome has put himself in position to retain his lead in the coming days. With the Stage 8 win, the Sky rider became the sixth British rider to don the yellow jersey, as noted by Infostrada Sports:

Stage 9 will take place on Sunday with a 168.5 kilometer stretch from Saint Girons to Bagneres-de-Biggore.